On 6 July, WM Motor achieved a new milestone in its development, the delivery of its 30,000th EX5 smart, pure electric SUV. Delivery of the vehicle was taken by Mr. Song in Shanghai who, alongside with his wife, visited the WM’s Space in the Hongqiao business district where he was greeted by the Company’s Founder and CEO, Freeman Shen, who personally handed over the keys to his brand-new EX5-Z. This occasion marked a historic moment both for WM Motor and for China’s electric vehicle industry. In reaching this milestone, WM Motor has become the first Chinese pure electric vehicle (EV) startup to have surpassed 30,000 sales of a single vehicle model.

WM Motor’s Founder and CEO, Freeman Shen, hands over the 30,000th EX5 to its new owners

WM Motor has achieved positive sales momentum since the Covid-19 pandemic halted production across the whole industry in China. At the end of June this year, cumulative sales had increased by 77.8% quarter-on-quarter and 34.9% compared to the month previous, with June sales reaching an annual high of 2,028 units. 

Validated user experience

All of WM Motor’s vehicles are connected Over-the-Air, making each car a highly valuable data resource that provides realtime information on usage and performance while on the road. This information allows for the development of software and hardware upgrades and innovations that provide real benefits to users. WM Motor attributes much of the EX5’s success to this connectivity, as it has enabled the constant improvement of the user experience through frequent hardware and software upgrades. 

An examination of user data gives an insight into the utility of the EX5’sfeatures in real-world driving scenarios. For instance, it is clear from user-generated data that WM Motor’s in-cabin smart AI assistant ‘Xiaowei’ has now become an essential part of the Living Engine infotainment system, having fulfilled 4.45 million voice commands in the first half of 2020, an average of about 24,000 interactions every day. Other functions which have been popular in the first half of 2020 include the iQiyi video streaming app, which was opened 1.02 million times; the Automatic Parking Assist (APA) function, which helped WM users complete a perfect park over 340,000 times; and the CleanSpace air purification system, which is used daily by 90% of users. Connected features such as music and video streaming, as well as navigation, have been facilitated by over 400,000 gigabytes of free onboard internet data. 

Designed for the busy, highly-connected lifestyle 

Since WM Motor released its all-new 2020 model EX5, the EX5-Z, the share of younger drivers among WM Motor’s customer base has continued to grow, with the number of users born after 1995 increasing by 43.4% since 2019. In addition, the number of drivers who are parents of young children now make up 69% of the Company’s customer base. WM Motor believes that this trend is driven by the provision of an in-cabin experience designed to accommodate the busy, highly-connected lifestyles of today’s drivers. Also, WM’s vehicles are equipped with a variety of unique features highly suited to young families, including kids channel video streaming, educational podcasts, in-cabin air quality monitoring and purification, and Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) connectivity. Young parents are also attracted by the EX5’s 5-star C-NCAP safety rating, as well as the large storage space and long range for weekend getaways. 

Expanding footprint 

WM Motor’s positive sales trend can be attributed in large part to the expansion of its national retail network, made up mostly of stores operated by the Company’s Smart Mobility Partners (SMP’s), who exclusively manage the sales and delivery process for WM Motor’s vehicles. The Company has added 46 new retail locations in the first half of 2020, increasing its presence in China’s major cities, as well as tier 3 and tier 4 cities.